Eden's East
by Diamond Mask
Summary: Lelouch hated that Suzaku was acting like a martyr when he would just die like a dog. But he hated himself even more for being too selfish to admit how much he cared. Suzaku x Lelouch. AU. Sequel to 'For Me, It's You'.


_Eden's East_

_A Suzaku x Lelouch AU  
_

_Disclaimer_: I do not own _Code Geass_ or any of the respective characters.

_A/N_: This is the long-overdue sequel to 'For Me, It's You'. It was not through lack of effort, but rather a lack of inspiration that left a half-finished document lying abandoned for a few months. Thankfully, Val-Creative (though she does not know it) is usually able to hit me with a bolt of inspiration through her own work - so, much thanks must go to her for writing 'Adjournment' and jolting me out of that particular slump!

Reviews are much appreciated and thoroughly adored :3

* * *

The late afternoon sun touched his temple, gradually sinking lower and lower, passing nose, lips, chin, before it the fading light was replaced by shadows. Lelouch continued to stare out of the window of his office, eyes fixed on the students still milling outside. Smiles were copious; excitement was infectious. Many were still dressed in their graduation robes, diplomas clutched proudly in their hands. His students were filled with dreams of college and travel; even work had an irresistible promise to it in their eyes. And as adults, as 'socially responsible' Brittanians, they would have it, and more. A sardonic smile touched his lips.

Everyone, that is, except Suzaku_. _Everywhere Lelouch turned, he was confronted by the prospect of Suzaku leaving. Looking at his desk, he couldn't help remembering afternoons of sneaking kisses during Suzaku's frequent detentions, or simply looking up from where he was seated to see Suzaku looking back at him, smiling. The goldfish Suzaku had won for him at the festival (which he had playfully dubbed 'Suzie' one warm and lazy afternoon much to Suzaku's mortification); swam in its glass bowl, fins swirling in languid circles. For a moment, the fish stopped, hanging suspended in the water and gazing unblinkingly at the melancholic figure framed in the window. Puffy lips yawned wide before the fish resumed circling its little world, unaware of the trauma surrounding its namesake.

Tomorrow, Suzaku would be gone, possibly for good. And even if he came back… Lelouch had met war veterans before. It made his chest ache. How could he welcome home a dead man?

_Suzaku will come back with bloodstained hands, and a bloodstained mind. Nothing in him will escape being drenched in blood. I know that –and so does he. That will be his reward. And he'll do it no matter what I say, for his foolish ideals! What does the Emperor care for ideology? Schniezel will eat someone like Suzaku; tear him to shreds before spitting out the bones in disdain. I know it! _

Lelouch still wore his own robe from the graduation ceremony. Reaching into the pocket, he pulled out a slip of paper. It had been carefully rolled up into a tiny cylinder, and Lelouch had not looked at its contents since the evening of the festival. He didn't believe in wishes. He didn't.

Yet –

A fragment of memory, nothing more than the sweet, piping voice of a child and a flash of pink, had told him that he had to keep it secret.

"_The magic only works if you keep it secret, Lulu!_" she had said, with all the seriousness of a child who still believed in magic, in unicorns and the tooth fairy, who had stamped her foot angrily when he told her scornfully that she needed to grow up. Lelouch had abandoned such ridiculous fairytale notions at the age of four.

And perhaps that was part of his problem.

_Whether I grew up or not is the real question_… he smiled wryly, slipping the wish back into his pocket. He didn't intend on telling anyone about it. He chose to believe in that nameless little girl.

Later, he would place it into a box along with all the other little treasures he had accumulated over the years –a dry flower on the verge of crumbling to dust that Nunnally had placed in his hair on a picnic, the single earring that remained of the dead woman he had called 'mother' –_the faintest scent of burning clings to the charred and twisted piece of metal_–, the withered husk of a butterfly that had died in his hands after he fished it from a puddle trying to save it, a lucky charm that he had gotten from that nameless girl who believed in magic when he was little and the rainbow pinwheel that he had saved from the festival.

The wish would remain there, with all the other fragments of his past, until it came true.

* * *

It was dark when he opened the door to his apartment. Nunnally was waiting for him, and he smiled half-heartedly as she berated him for being late for dinner. Lelouch felt a pang of guilt, knowing that she had spent the past three days planning this farewell dinner for Suzaku. He dropped his suitcase near the staircase where he would retrieve it later before he went upstairs to his bedroom, and removed his jacket.

"Have I kept our guests waiting for long?"

She giggled, informing him impishly, "You came just in time, brother. Rivalz was about to start eating the tablecloth."

"Was not!" came the scandalised cry from their living room.

Lelouch smiled despite himself. "I suppose we had better hurry before the silverware vanishes down his throat," he said lightly, wheeling Nunnally into the living room. At the sight of his professor, Rivalz jumped to his feet, thrusting out a hand and a shaky "evening, sir". Lelouch took the offered hand and returned the greeting with mock coolness, but before the words had left his lips; his gaze was already sliding to the second figure rising with athletic grace from the couch.

"Lelouch."

Automatically, he was about to retort, "Call me _Lamperouge-sensei_, Kururugi", but he caught himself, settling on an indifferent, "Suzaku."

Nunnally and Rivalz both smiled uncertainly at the obvious tension in the air, the girl shrugging helplessly when the latter touched her shoulder questioningly.

"Um, maybe we should go see if Sayoko needs help with anything," Rivalz said awkwardly, not waiting for Nunnally's answer before he began wheeling her into the dining room.

Suzaku and Lelouch were left staring at one another. Lelouch was the first to break, eyes straying to the floor.

"I suppose congratulations are in order." He smiled slightly, willing away the dull ache in his throat. "For your graduation."

"Thank you, sensei."

Awkward silence lapsed again. Lelouch's hands twitched at his sides, so he moved to the sideboard and poured a glass of water for himself from the glass jug standing there. He didn't drink from it, the glass only serving to occupy his hands, though he found himself wishing for something stronger than water. He turned to ask Suzaku if he wanted anything to drink, only to find himself pressed against the sideboard.

"Suzaku–" the gasp was forced from his throat, his entire focus moving to the points where Suzaku's body was touching his.

One hand removed the glass from his and set it back on the table, before twining their fingers together. A pair of lips that he had not tasted in days settled over his mouth, Suzaku kissing him with a desperation that both men shared, but that only Lelouch refused to admit. When Suzaku's mouth left his, he hovered close, so that Lelouch could feel warm breath stroking his lips when the other spoke.

"If I knew confessing was going to have this kind of effect, I would have kept quiet," the joke was feeble before he said, with more seriousness, "You've been avoiding me. We haven't spoken in three days… I've missed you, Lelouch."

"I've been busy, Suzaku. Please, let go of me." His answer was strained, an obvious lie.

_What else can I tell him? I tried –believe me, I tried! How many times in the past week haven't I found myself standing outside his dorm room, unable to knock? I stood outside, below his window, for four hours last night, clutching a pebble in my hand that I couldn't throw. He doesn't know. I want to keep it that way. _

_It's cowardice –I should be clinging to him every hour of every day, until he's gone. I should be treasuring every second I can still touch him, kiss him, hear his voice saying "I love you". Is it mercy when I push him away? Am I trying to spare him as much grief as possible? I can try to make this separation as painless as possible, by making it begin now. In doing so, I can spare myself the same pain. That's what I'm doing. I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt _myself_. _

"Lelouch, don't. These last few days should have been – I mean, we should have been together. I thought that, after the festival, things would have changed…"

Voice brittle, Lelouch replied, "They did change, Suzaku, just not in the way that you intended. Another testament to your childishness. You made it _quite_ clear to me last week that you intend to leave."

'That you intend to leave me' was the implication that he couldn't voice. He knew he was being horrendously unfair. _He_ was being childish, not that he would admit to it.

"I thought–" Suzaku stumbled over his words, "I thought that everything was okay. That night of the festival…you said you would wait for me. Lu, you _promised_ that you would wait for me."

_I did. I _know_ I did. I all but gave you my blessing to go and get yourself killed in this stupid war. I didn't want to. I didn't mean to. _

He felt a pang of guilt, remembering the easy way he had fallen into Suzaku's arms, how easily words of promise had slipped from his mouth. A repulsive mixture of shame, anger and blame roiled in his stomach. Too late, it was too late to take it all back now. He couldn't bear the disappointment and growing anger on Suzaku's face.

_So many excuses… I seem to have a never-ending supply, don't I, Suzaku?_

The words "I'm sorry" burned on his tongue, but instead he found himself saying, "Dinner should be ready by now. We should–"

Suzaku nodded stiffly, brushing past him on the way to the dining room. Lelouch trailed behind him unwillingly, reluctant to bring himself into close proximity again. His nerves were tense, still tingling with the shock of Suzaku's touch. After close to a week of solitude, the suddenness of contact had left him reeling. He felt dizzy, almost drunk from the all-to-brief and intoxicating taste of Suzaku's mouth. Touching his lips, the dampness of Suzaku's lips still imprinted there, Lelouch was on the verge of turning around and running out the door. It didn't matter where he went, _anywhere_ would do, as long as he escaped…

Then he heard Nunnally call out, voice soft and anxious. "Brother?"

Reluctantly, he entered the dining room, touching Nunnally briefly on the shoulder. Seeing her tentative smile, he felt another rush of guilt. She had been so anxious about saying goodbye to Suzaku, and had agonised over every minute detail to do so. Nunnally had instructed Sayoko to use their best silverware, and fresh flowers peeked from all corners of the room. Candles were lit upon her insistence –even though she could not see them, she insisted upon creating the ambience for those who could. So, in answer to that, Lelouch had started buying scented candles for her, and two of them burned now, infusing the room with a subtle sweetness. The little party was nothing extravagant or outlandish, and the guest list had carefully been restricted to four people. Naturally, Nunnally had invited Cee-Cee, but his secretary had politely declined, saying that she had already said her goodbyes to Suzaku.

Lelouch swirled the contents of his wineglass, light refracting within the burgundy liquid. Cee-Cee hated goodbyes, he knew that. But he had seen the boy going into his office earlier that week, had guessed that Cee-Cee had called him there. He knew, from standing outside the door, that her goodbye to Suzaku had been hushed, a quiet exchange of tears (she had been suspiciously red-eyed the rest of that afternoon), and Lelouch had chosen not to question Cee-Cee about what had transpired between them. It wouldn't do to add another load of misery to his own.

As Sayoko served the entrée, Lelouch picked up his fork despite his lack of appetite, determined, if only for Nunnally's sake, to present a picture of perfect domesticity.

Nunnally was happier than she had been in months, as Lelouch was painfully aware, because of the boy seated beside her. She had always had her big brother of course, and a few treasured friends, but Rivalz transcended them. Lelouch wondered if his eyes glowed as hers did when he looked at Suzaku, if that same little shiver of pleasure passed his lips when Suzaku's hand touched his. The thought dragged a memory of heated fingertips digging into his hip, of a wet mouth teasing at his neck– Lelouch drew in a sharp breath, gripping the fork and mashing the fish remaining on his plate into a flaky mess.

Ten minutes later, conversation had evolved from nothing to stilted. Lelouch only opened his mouth to respond in brief monosyllables to the awkward attempts at conversation that Nunnally attempted. Even Rivalz, who usually had to be threatened with the promise to sew his mouth shut, was content merely to pick at his food.

A familiar tremble to Nunnally's lip brought Lelouch's sense of guilt crashing over his stoic determination not to involve himself any further than he had to with Suzaku.

He wasn't the only one who would be hurt by Suzaku's departure. She loved him, in her own way, and she loved Suzaku all the more because Lelouch loved him. He sighed. He had to do _something_ before she started crying, even if speaking felt like broken glass cutting into his tongue.

"Suzaku."

The Japanese boy looked up from where he was rearranging his own plate, picking disconsolately at the fish. His eyes were guarded, even a little sullen.

"Do you remember that time– when we… well, the two of us and Nunnally… we all, ah– it was only a month or two ago…"

It was awkward, so fucking _awkward_, and his tongue was suddenly thick in his mouth. Professor Lamperouge, so articulate and elegant in his speech, stumbled over his words like a schoolboy squirming in front of his class.

Suzaku's mouth softened slightly when he looked from Lelouch to Nunnally. A single breath escaped from between his lips before he said, "I remember everything about us, Lelouch."

"I think – I think I know what you might be talking about, brother," Nunnally offered shyly.

"Well," Lelouch said slowly, linking gazes with Suzaku and letting a genuine, grateful smile cross his lips. "You see, we were…"

They fell into familiar banter with heartbreaking ease, teasing Rivalz until the boy was squirming in his chair and Nunnally was threatening to disown them both. Suzaku threw up his hands in mock surrender, laughing. He teased Nunnally about being so _grown up_, with a _boyfriend_ now. It was her turn to blush, and Suzaku burst into good-natured, gentle laughter when she did. The sound of his laughter –piercing, full of confidence –was another drop of acid burning into Lelouch.

Dinner was an incomprehensible jumble of agonising pain and unbearable sweetness – Suzaku's smile, his laugh, the way he said "Lelouch", his voice so sweet and tender, all of these where stabbing needles when Lelouch remembered that it would be annihilated within the next few months.

It passed in a blur, in the space where reality met illusion. While Lelouch ate, he did not taste the rest of his meal. He watched Suzaku gulp down his dessert with obvious relish –his love had such a sweet tooth, he thought affectionately – and wished he could lean forward and wipe away the smear of chocolate on the corner of Suzaku's mouth.

Dinner ended, and Rivalz was surprisingly tactful enough to say a brief goodbye and leave Suzaku alone with the Lamperouge siblings.

Lelouch stood awkwardly by while Nunnally wished Suzaku good night, folding her arms around his neck for the longest time. She whispered something into his ear that remained unheard to Lelouch, but when she retracted her arms, there was a glimmer of tears in Suzaku's eyes. She laid a hand on his cheek; thumb gently brushing at the wetness.

"You shouldn't go."

Suzaku did not bluff, or try to patronise her. "But I am, Nunnally. I have to."

In the background, Lelouch couldn't stop himself from sneering. He hated that Suzaku made himself sound like a _martyr_, that he was bound to _duty_, when all what would happen was that Suzaku would die like a dog for a man who wouldn't give a shit.

She sighed. "I know," she said regretfully. "Will you come back and visit?"

"Whenever I get the chance," Suzaku nodded, and Nunnally smiled, catching his hand and hooking her little finger around his.

"Promise?"

"Promise," he repeated seriously, shaking their entwined fingers slightly.

She smiled again, satisfied. "Both of us will hold you to that, Suzaku." Her head turned slightly. "Sayoko," she called, "could you help me to my room?"

The older woman appeared silently, and took Nunnally in hand, bidding a soft good night to Lelouch and Suzaku.

"I suppose I should say goodnight as well. It's been… a long day. I will see you out."

Suzaku waited for him to open the door. Their hands brushed briefly when they left the apartment, and Lelouch almost gasped audibly at the contact, which left ripples across his skin. Suzaku gave no sign of feeling anything, and continued his stiff-legged gait, arms clenched at his sides.

When they reached the entrance of the complex, Lelouch paused.

"Good night, Suzaku." He said, holding out his hand. "I wish you well on your… trip."

Suzaku smiled mockingly, ignoring Lelouch's outstretched hand. "My 'trip'," he echoed. "Yeah. Thanks."

_God, I shouldn't have said that. _

"Suzaku, I meant – I mean, I wanted to say–"

"Shut up, Lelouch. Please, just _shut up_."

Wounded, the professor could only stare at him.

"I won't play this game with you. Not tonight. Not ever. Fuck, Lelouch, I _love_ you. How cruel do you think I am to do that to you? Do you think that _little_ of me?"

_How dare you_. _If you had any fucking idea of just how much I _do_ think of you –_

_No. Turn your back on this. Sever it now. It will save you – and him – from the pain. _

"Goodbye, Suzaku."

"Is that it? Is that all you're going to give me?"

"That is all I _want_ to give." Lelouch forced himself to turn around, forced his legs to start moving, but a hand snatched at his wrist.

"I don't believe you. You're lying. You're lying to me."

"Suzaku–"

"I love you. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"No. No, Suzaku, it doesn't. You wouldn't be going into a war that has _nothing_ to do with you, if you loved me as you say you do!"

"You know why I'm going. If this world is going to be changed, it has to be done from the inside. I'll change it–" Suzaku stopped when Lelouch stepped closer to him, bony fingers cupping his chin.

"The world will not stop turning for one soldier, Kururugi. Your dreams are admirable, but naïve. Do you think Schniezel will listen, do you think he will change a system that provides the greatest benefits to him? Don't be such a fool! You'll die for this. _You will die_. Do you think I _want_ that?

Suzaku flinched, but Lelouch continued ruthlessly, "And when it does happen, I won't even be able to say 'I told you so' because I'll crying over your fucking grave! Now let go of me!"

"No, I want you to understand me!"

"How can I understand a _death wish_?"

Suzaku's jaw was clenched tight, and Lelouch's fingers pressed down on his bottom lip. "You like to talk, Suzaku," he said softly, "to say these pretty little words. You're cynical and idealistic at the same time – a fucking walking contradiction. If you cared at all for me, you wouldn't throw yourself away for a futile cause. Don't you _dare_ act as if you haven't got a choice in any of this."

The taller boy drew in a shuddering breath, his lover's fingertips straying across the line of his jaw.

"Goodbye, Lelouch."

_So… that is your choice_.

* * *

The apartment was dark when he returned. As soon as he locked the door behind him, Lelouch went straight to the decanter. He didn't drink, he abhorred the taste, so the decanter was largely untouched. Tonight, he wanted a drink. His hand trembled slightly around the glass, and he gagged on the bitter taste of the whiskey, but the burn in his throat had a soothing touch to it. Grimly, he tossed the remainder down, wishing he were already drunk.

"I never thought you would let him go so easily, brother."

He didn't turn when he heard Nunnally's voice behind him.

"Go back to bed, Nunnally."

"Lelouch. Please don't be such a fool."

For once she did not address him as 'brother', and he was struck by how alien she suddenly seemed.

"If Rivalz… if Rivalz were leaving, even if I blamed him, even if I _hated_ him for going… I wouldn't let him go without telling him one more time how much I loved him. I would tell him that I would pray everyday for him to come back safe. I would want him to know that no matter how much I might hate him for leaving; I would hate him the most for dying. I know that it hurts, brother, but please… if you want to punish yourself, please don't hurt Suzaku as well."

For several, unbearable moments, there was silence.

"Get out."

"Brother, please–"

"I said, _get out_!"

The glass shattered against the wall. Nunnally flinched as her brother rose from the armchair.

"What makes you think you understand anything about us? About _me_? You're nothing but a little girl, you know _nothing_, you understand _nothing_ about Suzaku – don't you dare fucking preach to me about him!"

"Brother–" the word was choked in her mouth.

He couldn't look at her.

"Nunnally," he whispered. "Get out. Now. _Just leave me alone_."

She obeyed, leaving her brother alone in the dark. She obeyed, because there was nothing she could do or say to ease his pain and misery, and there was nothing she could do to make _him_ understand.

In her bedroom, Nunnally sat, hands clasped limply in her lap. Her stubborn, _stupid_ brother needed to wake up before it was too late, before Suzaku was gone, and before all chance was gone. Her arm trembled when she reached for the phone.

* * *

Lelouch awoke to appallingly bright sunlight and the stale smell of alcohol. He flinched, groaning softly when a twinge rippled through his spine. He had spent the night curled in the armchair, and now he was paying for it with stiff limbs. His head ached, his tongue was a wad of cotton stuffed in his mouth.

"Good morning, Your Highness."

He sighed, opening bleary eyes to see Cee-Cee perched on a stool in front of him. Her green locks had been swept up on top of her head, her face clear of any makeup. He groaned when he recognised the pinched look on her face.

"Do you know that it's–" he turned his head slightly to squint at the clock, "only six thirty in the morning?"

"I'm aware," she said cuttingly. She nudged the shattered remains of the glass with her foot, frowning disapprovingly.

Lelouch smiled, a grin edged with bitterness. "If you're here to lecture me–"

"Oh, I'm not here to lecture you. I dare say you've had enough of that, and I know it's not what you need."

"You don't know anything."

"I know enough to realise that you're a selfish, arrogant bastard. And I know enough to know exactly what you need. After all these years, _I know you_. And after everything I've ever given up for you, I have every right to do this. _Look_ at me, Lelouch." Her fingertips bit into his chin, forcing his head to turn to her. "You'll thank me for this later."

Without any hesitation, she slapped him hard. Black-rimmed glasses clattered to the floor.

"Now," she hissed, "you will go upstairs, you will take a shower, you will make yourself presentable, and you _will_ go see Suzaku. Before you lose any fucking chance you ever had with him! Do you hear me, Lelouch? If you don't go, I'll drag you there by your hair if I have to."

He was ashamed to feel tears trickle down his cheek.

"I have no right to say anything to him, Cee-Cee," he whispered.

"God, you can be such a fool. Suzaku loves you. He knows that you're so vain and stubborn you'd cut off your own limb before you'd admit you were scared."

"But he's going to die. I can't lose him, Cee-Cee, I _can't_. He's going to die and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Oh, Lelouch." She knelt in front of him, sliding her arms around his waist, and pressing her cheek to his chest. "It doesn't matter if he lives or dies, you couldn't lose him any more than you would if you let him go now without saying a word."

It was comforting to let Cee-Cee hold him, like she had so many times since his childhood. She had been – and still was – a mother, a guardian, and friend, when he had been abandoned and rejected by everyone else. He and Nunnally owed her more than he would ever admit.

"I'm calling in that debt now. For Suzaku's sake. And," she leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead, "if Suzaku can't accept it, he'll be as big an idiot as you are."

He sniffed, rubbing his reddened nose. "I can't believe you hit me," he muttered. "You haven't done that in years."

"You deserved it."

"I did," he admitted. "But I think you hit me harder than you should have. It's going to leave a bruise."

She shrugged, not looking the slightest bit repentant. "A reminder when you look in the mirror."

"Until it heals."

"Until it heals," Cee-Cee repeated, touching his cheek gently. Then she wrinkled her nose. "You reek," she said pointedly. "Go shower before you chase Suzaku away just with your smell."

"Cee-Cee…"

He caught her hand before she could rise.

"I–"

But before he could say anymore, she cut him off.

"It's too early for sentimentalism, Lelouch. Save it for Suzaku. He'd appreciate it far more than I would. But," she smiled fondly. "I love you, too."

* * *

Suzaku lifted at the single duffel bag that that did and would contain his entire life for the next few years, and hefted it onto one shoulder with little effort, joining the throngs of young men being sent to the Japanese training base of the Imperial Brittanian army. There were dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't been able to sleep since leaving the Lamperouge residence, and he was running purely on caffeine that made him feel nauseas. Suzaku stifled a yawn, ignoring the low buzz in his ears.

He did not hear his name being called, until the man next to him elbowed him in the ribs, eyeing the tag labelled 'Kururugi, Suzaku' on his jacket, and said tersely, "Are you deaf, Eleven? They're callin' for you."

Suzaku shook himself out of his daze. "Thank you," he said politely, ignoring the sniggers from around him. He pushed his way out of the crowd. He jogged over to the commanding officer, who gestured to the main offices with a scowl.

"Visitor, Kururugi. Keep it to five minutes."

"Yes, my lord." He saluted, feeling his heart thrum. It couldn't be. _Would Lelouch actually_–

His eyes widened when he saw a familiar figure standing awkwardly at the offices. Suzaku slowed, his heart beating even faster, but he forced his face into a blank expression. He hadn't forgotten how vicious Lelouch had been last night, and he wasn't about to let him forget it. His composure nearly broke, though, when he saw how terrible Lelouch looked. Dark circles shrouded the skin beneath his eyes, and his cheek was reddened, a bruise just beginning to darken there.

Still, Suzaku couldn't help his resentment. "Come to see me off on my 'trip'?"

Lelouch ignored the coolness of Suzaku's voice, knowing he deserved it in part. "I needed to see you. And I needed – _wanted_ to… apologise."

"You think an apology will make it right?"

"Of course not. Suzaku, I won't pretend to understand. I can't, and I refuse to. I still think that what you're doing is stupid and unforgivable. I think I'll always hold this against you. But… I want you to listen to this."

"I'm listening," Suzaku said quietly.

"You will be nothing but an Eleven here. You will be ridiculed, despised, taunted. If that is what you choose, if you swear that this is the path you want to follow, I'll try to accept it. For your sake. And I will wait. No matter how long it takes for you to come back." Lelouch drew in a deep breath. "Suzaku. I command you not to die. Do you hear me? _You will not die_."

Suzaku finally smiled, lifting a gloved hand to his forehead, snapping into a smart salute. "Yes, my lord."

"And," Lelouch added, softer now, "you will write to me every week. I will want details on everything, Kururugi-kun. I don't care how mundane army life can be."

Suzaku drifted closer, close enough for Lelouch to feel warm breath on his cheek. "Yes, my lord," he murmured.

"And... I love you."

"I know, Lulu."

"It's Lamperouge-sensei." Lelouch corrected with a mock scowl that turned into a loving smile when Suzaku enfolded his arms around him.

"Lulu-sensei," the Japanese soldier whispered affectionately against his neck. "God, I love you so much."

Lelouch said nothing, content to feel Suzaku, to inhale his scent, to listen to the sound of his breathing. "I'm sorry for last night," he finally whispered, after several peaceful moments.

"Don't waste your breath talking about that when you could be kissing me instead."

"Is that _all_ you can think about?"

Suzaku smirked, twining his fingers gently in Lelouch's hair. "Of course. There are other things besides kissing after all…"

The older man blushed. "Pervert," he muttered. But he kissed Suzaku anyway, and for a long time. They separated at the sound of a shrill whistle.

"I have to go." Suzaku turned to look at the crowd now moving forward to the waiting trucks, and his eyes strayed back to Lelouch.

"Take care of Suzie for me."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'll take care of the fish."

"Nunnally, and Cee-Cee too. And don't torture Rivalz too much. But tell him I'm gonna come back and beat him up if he makes Nunnally cry, okay?"

"I will," he promised. "Come visit the first chance you get."

Then there was only time for a last fierce kiss over the sound of a bellowed "Kururugi!" and Suzaku muttering "crap" before running back to the other soldiers, glancing over his shoulder and mouthing a last, "I love you." Lelouch smiled, waving goodbye, and mouthing it back.

* * *

_A week later_

* * *

_Dear Suzaku, _

_Are they treating you well? Do they feed you three meals a day? Are you getting into trouble with the other Britannian soldiers? _

Lelouch paused, and smiled, before writing–

_Would you believe me if I said to you that I missed you and your at times aggravating masochism?_

_End_


End file.
